Spirit Tree (5)
Three groups, each with their own objectives, had gathered. The orcs looked ready to charge out at any moment, buzzing with excitement, while Descartes' subordinates remained fairly composed.
"O, orcs... Do you even know what you've done?!"
But Kepa and the villagers were a different story. Orcs, who had taken root in their nightmares, were now right in front of them. They must have been flashing back to the events from decades ago.
"Just a few orc pups show up and you're losing your shit? Yeah, their skin's a bit unusual, but still."
"H-hey! This isn't what we agreed on! Weren't those corpses scattered to lure the orcs supposed to be retrieved?!"
"Old timer, you actually believed that? We needed these guys for our goal from the start. But why'd so many show up? We were supposed to clear out the bait midway."
"Yes, Lady Jeanne! We did send a retrieval team, but they haven't returned. It's been quite a while, so they might've been taken out..."
The woman called Jeanne grilled her subordinate standing behind her.
"Bunch of useless idiots, as always."
They had no clue what they'd stirred up. Sure, the black orcs' levels were still low for now, but their ultimate target was the swamp. If that happened, the storyline from the second expansion pack would kick off immediately.
Way too soon.
The problem was that the second expansion's story only unfolded after players had cleared not just the originals but the first expansion too. It wasn't called an expansion for nothing—those enemies were on a whole different level. If they weren't stopped, they'd plunge this world into massive chaos.
"What're you waiting for, you lot? Clean those bastards up!"
"Ah, right. Let's go!"
Jeanne launched a full assault on the black orcs. Tudududu!Clangclangclang!
Her subordinates obeyed, unleashing machine guns from afar or swinging weapons up close. The black orcs didn't sit idle either—they roared ferociously and charged in response.
Thus, the clash between Descartes' men and the black orcs began.
"H-how did this happen..."
"What do we do now? Just stay put?"
"No, that's not the plan."
The black orcs' arrival was a problem, no doubt. But if he turned it to his advantage, it might make the impossible possible—dealing with the Spirit Tree.
For now.
He planned to seize this opening to achieve his own goal. I headed for the giant tree in search of the mana herb.
Elixirs varied wildly in effect depending on their ingredients. Some restored health or even mana; others granted elemental resistances on top of recovery. And that wasn't all.
Higher grades brought even more diverse effects, and the mana herb I was after was no exception—it was a rare-grade mana herb.
Get the mana herb first.
The rare-grade mana herb existed inside the giant tree, so we ventured in.
"A tree with space like this? It looks just like a dungeon... Ah, I've never actually been in one, so is this the right vibe?"
April was spot on. This place would later serve as a dungeon in the expansion packs. Vast and expansive despite being inside a tree, it featured twisting maze-like passages that opened into cave-like chambers.
Back then, the tree's roots spawned as monsters.
Fortunately, it hadn't transformed into a full dungeon yet—no attacking roots assaulted us. Relying on memory, I navigated toward the mana herb's location. It sat at the dungeon's deepest end.
We trudged through the tree's interior. Narrow passages gave way to a wide cavern.
Guuuuuh.
That's when it happened. The tree shuddered slightly, emitting a bizarre groan. Probably the giant tree itself.
It senses the crisis.
There were two triggers for the giant tree's transformation into the Spirit Tree: one was sensing danger. The orcs would raid the swamp again, and the tree would detect the threat, mobilizing itself.
In other words, the tree was starting to grasp the current situation.
"Ugh... Is that sound coming from the tree? I hate stuff like this..."
April hugged herself, shivering. She really didn't like creepy things, apparently. It was a new expression for her—she was always grinning like an idiot.
Here it is.
We'd reached the destination. Vines tangled thickly at the end, forming a wall. My current skills couldn't handle it.
"April, burn these things."
"These? Got it. Step back for now—not 'cause I can't control it, but whoosh boom! It's got some serious kick, y'know? So..."
She kept flailing her hands, so I backed off a bit. Talk about control issues.
...Makes me wanna fix her so bad.
Sharrarr...Kaboom!
April, still throwing in her sound effects, activated Ignition and immediately Transferred it across the entire vine cluster. And that kaboom!—was that her personal flair? Transfer shouldn't pack that punch; a whoosh would've been right.
Fwoosh—
Guuuuuh!
The tree wailed again. It had detected April's attack. The shaking intensified, the groans unrelenting.
...No time.
Crackle! Crackle!
April's flames devoured the vines nicely. The thick tangle began to loosen, revealing what lay within.
...Gone.
Had I misremembered? No mana herb in sight, contrary to expectations. It had definitely been here in the game.
Couldn't say why, but it was gone.
"..."
This was a problem. I'd been so sure it'd be here. The story changes weren't the only shifts—even tiny details like this were affected. No wonder the devs went through hell.
"This is..."
That's when Jerard, scanning the interior with us, spotted something. Half-buried in the dirt: an axe. Not a battle axe—a logging one.
Jerard fixated on the protruding handle. Entranced, he started digging. Once the full axe emerged, he collapsed to the floor.
"No way..."
Words were engraved on the handle. Hard to make out, but faintly, a name. Jerard couldn't tear his eyes away.
The name on the axe: 'Osman'.
The traitor who betrayed the village. Jerard's grandfather.
"Grandpa's axe... here? D-does that mean the villagers were telling the truth all along..."
Jerard trailed off. He'd always believed his grandfather never came here, but the axe shattered that conviction.
Light's leaking out. Means I can peer into its memories.
The game story mentioned it briefly: someone came here long ago, enraging the tree. But no details.
Maybe another layer to the tale. Connected to the mana herb?
I dug it up and gripped the axe. As expected, its memories flooded in.
A flood of memories poured in. It started with Jerard's grandfather, Osman, in his youth. He'd owned this axe for ages, it seemed.
—Kepa, we can build our own family here.
—Heh heh, yeah! We're not orphans anymore! We'll make our own village in this swamp, live like one big family!
Village chief Kepa. And Osman, Jerard's grandfather. Orphans who treated each other like brothers. Fleeing war, they ended up in the current swamp. With other refugees, they built the village—all thanks to a tree they stumbled upon.
Child-sized back then. Just starting to grow.
But rare herbs sprouted around it.
So it wasn't the massive tree I knew at first.
They tended it devotedly. Watered it daily. Shielded it from harsh sun. Dug trenches in downpours to drain water.
The tree was special. Not just growing rare herbs—it moved on its own, responding to their care.
Kepa and Osman raised it like a child. Time passed; it grew enormous, half its current size. They aged from youths to family men.
But conflict brewed.
—Osman, that's wrong! Taking all the herbs?! You know what that tree is! We raised it!
—I know! I get it! But that'll elevate our village! Guards ignore us now—what happens when we grow? They'll notice!
Kepa wanted to take herbs sparingly; Osman, harvest all to expand. No compromise. Factions formed around them.
—Osman's lot only cares about greed. Who do we owe this life to?
—Huh? What're you saying? Sell 'em all at once, and the village booms! You'd love that!
—What? You think I'm some heartless scum?
—What? Scum?!
Rift widened. Brothers turned bitter enemies.
Five years later, disaster struck.
—O, orcs! Orcs are here!
The black orcs appeared. They strategically blocked retreats, trapping everyone in the swamp.
—Kyaaah!
—Gaaah!
Orcs slaughtered villagers, razed the place. Resistance was futile; no guard aid.
—The tree... maybe the tree can save us!
Osman thought of the tree. If it moved, it could save them—it had before.
He rushed to it.
—H-help! Village is under orc attack. You... you might save us!
—......Guuuuh.
—Move, damn it! Move!
Drip. Drip drip.
The tree reacted. Roots strained to pull free, as if ready to mobilize. But too deep.
—What makes you move...?
—Guuuuh...
—That? Really?
—Guuuuh.
Osman conversed with the tree for the first time. No time to marvel—villagers dying.
He'd save them, whatever the cost—even his life as collateral.
Whoosh! Crunch!
—Gah!
Osman drove his axe into his chest. Blood gushed, soaking the earth.
The tree transformed. Bark reddened. A massive eye bloomed on its trunk.
It watched fallen Osman, prodding with roots. No response.
—Guuuuh...
Roars unending, like sobs. Then it embedded Osman's axe in itself.
—Guooooh!
Fury unleashed. It stormed the village, roots massacring orcs. But massive roots wrecked homes too.
—Y-you bastard! Attacking us?! Forgot me?!
Kepa screamed at the tree. After all he'd done—feuding with brother Osman to protect it.
No reaction. To Kepa, it seemed bent only on destruction. (Actually slaughtering orcs in rage...)
—Villagers were right! Look—Osman's axe in the tree!
—W-what?
—Damn traitor! He touched the tree! That's why it's mad!
—N-no way...
—See?! Can't believe your eyes? Osman betrayed us, tried fleeing with the herbs!
Kepa's eyes wavered. Beloved tree's rampage. Brother's betrayal. He slumped in despair.
The tree finished off village and orcs alike, returned to its spot—axe embedded within. Soon, red powder leaked from bark; a red mana herb sprouted beside it.
Unlike the blue ones I knew.
Moments later, Kepa appeared.
—You tried to protect the village, right? Didn't realize then, but now I get it.
Kepa patted the trunk, gazing up. Longing in his eyes.
—Didn't visit much—feeling neglected?
—......
—All to shield you from greedy humans. Don't be too upset.
Now a seventy-something elder, Kepa sensed something profound in the aging tree.
His gaze shifted to the red mana herb—visibly rarer than normal.
—Can't leave treasure like this here. If seen... same tragedy repeats.
Kepa carefully unearthed and took it. Its glow: not blue, but red.
...The mana herb here was legendary-grade?
The game's story wasn't just altered—rewards changed too. Rare to legendary.
The axe's memories ended. Then...
Weapon's Memory level has increased.
A new function has been added.
Right as the memories faded, the skill leveled up. What a string of surprises.